Sales of soft cheeses in Russia outpace other dairy market categories

Sales of soft cheeses significantly exceed the sales dynamics of other types of cheese:

• Hard cheese - growth by 4.4%

• Processed cheese - growth by 2.5%

• Cottage cheese - growth by 6.4%

According to the analytical company Nielsen, presented in the omnichannel study of the FMCG market, soft cheeses not only lead in growth rates, but also demonstrate the greatest acceleration in sales compared to 2023. Last year, their sales increased by 10.1%, and in 2024 - already by 15.1%, which emphasizes the steady trend towards consumption growth.

Key growth factors for the soft cheese segment:

✔ Expanding offline presence – increased distribution in retail chains

✔ Growing popularity in e-commerce – the largest share of sales among all cheeses (6.1% in monetary terms)

✔ Changing consumer preferences – growing demand for more delicate and creamy textures

For comparison, other categories of dairy products showed more moderate growth rates. For example, cottage cheese grew by 6.4%, and yogurts – by 11.6% (drinking) and 10.4% (thick). At the same time, demand for sterilized milk (-2.5%) and butter (-1.4%) continues to decline.